The Industry

What Will the Dallas Music Scene Look Like When Music Lives Again?

What Will the Dallas Music Scene Look Like When Music Lives Again?

John Pedigo and Friends Launch Management Company

John Pedigo and Friends Launch Management Company

Yella Beezy Opened the Door, Now Meet 10 Dallas Rappers Ready to Follow Him Through

By Bryson "Boom" Paul
Nov 25, 2019

In less than a year, 26-year-old Deandre Conway, better known as chart-topping recording artist Yella Beezy, has become one of the biggest new stars in music. His rise includes No. 1 hit "That's On Me," a stint as an opening act on Beyonce and Jay-Z's "On The Run II Tour"...
Ticket to Ride: Prekindle Keeps Its Texas Charm as It Conquers the World

By Tyler Hicks
Aug 1, 2019

It was an overcast day in the spring of 2014, but everyone at the meeting was wearing sunglasses. Dave Howard and Pete Swulius, a pair of quiet software gurus, chose the recently opened Wild Detectives as the site for this unusual rendezvous. “It was a hit job,” Howard recalls. “And...
Dallas Observer Mixtape With Feezy

By Wanz Dover
Jul 3, 2019

After a long break, we are back to wrap up the final run of Observer Mixtape. We are almost to mixtape No. 200, and this week we feature Feezy, a scene veteran with two decades behind the decks. Feezy walks the fine line between the pop sounds of crowded Deep...
Move Over, Vinyl Trend: North Texas Produces 8-Track Tapes for Major Labels

By Jacob Vaughn
Jun 27, 2019

Last year, Nathan Brown, founder of Dead Media Tapes, was cooped up in his Fort Worth home with two friends, producing 1,000 copies of a new release on eight-track cassette for a band in Sweden — one of the company’s biggest orders to date. Now living in Denton, Brown is...
A Maturing Rob Thomas Affirms His Belief in Music’s Ability to Heal

By David Fletcher
Jun 21, 2019

Multi-platinum, diamond and gold selling artist Rob Thomas has been at the top of his game for over 20 years now. With his latest album, Chip Tooth Smile, once again getting the artist into the Billboard Top 200 chart, one has to wonder how exactly he's able to stay so...
Texas-Based Ballad Hunter TV Series Documents Cowboy Ballads Across the Country

By Karen Gavis
Jun 20, 2019

Whether it’s hosting a songwriter showcase in Fort Worth or trailing across the country collecting cowboy songs, it’s all just part of the job for a ballad hunter. After narrowing the focus of his weekly songwriter’s showcase specifically to cowboy ballads, Jeff Posey’s search for authentic cowboy music has led...
Rapper Pat Ron Says We Can Make CDs Great Again: He’s Sold 1,000 This Year on His Own

By Roderick Pullum
Jun 19, 2019

Before the takeover of digital media, most successful independent music entrepreneurs would proudly tell you they've had some experience selling vinyl, cassettes or CDs out of the trunk of their car. Pat Ron, 24, a rapper from Dallas by way of New Orleans, has replaced the trunk with his Instagram...
Starck Reality: Reappraising Dallas’ Most Controversial Nightclub, 30 Years Later

By Jeff Gage
Jun 12, 2019

Under a sweltering midafternoon sun one day in late May, a backhoe digs at the earth where Dallas’ Brewery Building once stood on the edge of Victory Park. Traffic snakes along the nearby Woodall Rodgers overpass, circling the parking lot and rail yard at its far end. A dull, gray...
Recording Artists Guild Expands to Dallas, Aims to Help Indie Artists Navigate Music Industry

By Kristal Kuykendall
May 22, 2019

Every independent artist — at least those who want to make a living at music — must climb a mountain that seems insurmountable at best as they figure out on their own how to produce, protect and monetize their art in an industry that grows more complicated all the time...
Myspace Deletes Majority of Music on Its Site, Leaving Musicians Without Copies

By Jacob Vaughn
Mar 22, 2019

In 2005 Chris McIuan began recording local bands in his home, just east of downtown Fort Worth. He called the space Buzz Studios and it was relatively cheap, equipped with Pro Tools and a 16-channel digital interface. Now working for Spectrum, McIuan says he has not recorded anyone’s music in...
In Bed With Mike Brooks

By Eva Raggio
Mar 4, 2019

Concert photographer Mike Brooks has come to be regarded as a Dallas institution. Known for his wide-angled, dynamic and dramatic visual storytelling, when he shows up to an event, its stock rises. Every night after shooting, he drives for over an hour to get to his house in the country...
Bucks Burnett Is Implementing New Rules to Keep People from Ruining His Record Store's Good Vibes

By Nicholas Bostick
Mar 4, 2019

It's hard to believe that one of Dallas’ smallest record stores happens to be run by one of the city’s biggest characters. Bucks Burnett has been in the business of buying and selling vintage records and memorabilia for over three decades. And at his current store, 14 Records, Burnett spares...
Artists to Watch: A 3-Part Guide to DFW Musicians Poised to Make Waves in 2019

By Roderick Pullum
Feb 15, 2019

The DFW music scene now more than ever is jam-packed with talent across all genres. DFW musicians are achieving an elusive trifecta of diversity, quality and quantity. We've compiled a list of artists who are the textbook definition of up-and-coming. Others are more well-known with established careers. What they have...
Is One of These Dallas Kids the Next Big Superstar?

By Tyler Hicks
Jan 15, 2019

Linda Septien knows a thing or two about talent. As the founder of Septien Entertainment Group, Septien has coached and developed Texas superstars Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and many more. She’s earned her title as the Kingpin of Pop Talent, yet she shows no signs of slowing down. SEG boasts a loaded...
Like the Rest of the World, Dallas Likes Hip-Hop, According to Spotify

By Bryan Yalta
Dec 18, 2018

Since early December, Spotify listeners have been able to use a feature called Spotify Wrapped that shows the top artists, songs and genres they’ve listened to throughout the year. It also reveals how many minutes were spent listening to music through the service and even puts the user's top 100...
Dallas Music Tastemakers Tell Us Their Favorite Releases of 2018

By Wanz Dover
Dec 17, 2018

It's that time of year when music fans everywhere reflect on the best releases of the last 12 months. Publications' top-album lists have started to populate the internet to celebrate the standout albums and singles of 2018. With streaming music taking over as the dominant conduit for most listeners, sorting through...
Ferralog Studios Might Close if Nathan Adamson Doesn't Find Another Investor

By Eric Grubbs
Dec 12, 2018

Nathan Adamson got some devastating news Monday. Ferralog Recording Studios, the studio he has invested many hours and dollars in for the past seven years, is in danger of closing if he doesn’t find a new investor in time. If a new one does not appear between now and next...
Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves and Other North Texans Receive Grammy Nominations

By Garrett Gravley
Dec 10, 2018

On Friday, The Recording Academy dropped its list of nominations for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, scheduled to take place Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, at Los Angeles’s Staples Center. Over the years, North Texas has been given proud representation from artists that would win or be nominated for the...
Inside Chuck Ebert's Recording Studio in a Cabin Outside Fort Worth

By Karen Gavis
Aug 10, 2018

On the outskirts of Fort Worth, just past an iron gate with a musical note ornament, sits the cabin. Actually, two cabins are located on the five acres. One is a home built with logs from Willie Nelson’s original roadhouse. The other is a recording studio so serene it borders...
Levi Bradford Is the Mastermind Behind Frisco Music School

By Jacob Vaughn
Aug 2, 2018

On a cold, late November night, young teachers and even younger students of the Neighborhood Art & Music School in Frisco rolled their gear up to the stage of Lava Cantina. Parents began to fill up the seats to watch their children in the band Three at Four, comprised of...

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